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Everything posted by theTHiiiNG

I always remember Todd Cooperider from Esoteric Car Care saying 'stop assuming you know more than the chemists who make these products'.
You've bought Gloss Coat and then tried to maintain it with several other manufacturers products. These retail level products will often contain things that will leave a glossing agent on the paint because they assume people who buy them are not maintaining their cars to the same level as an enthusiast (who buys Gloss Coat).
Try and stay within the Optimum 'Synergy' by buying ONR and watch Yvan's videos on YouTube. Don't overthink it by buying this product and that product as they will mask anything below it.

Sorry, I don't have an answer to your question but I am interested in this as well. The great thing about OPT products is they are so versatile and have so many uses.
It would be great to have a 'cheat sheet' of rough dilutions for each product.
In this case I would have actually been thinking a very diluted Power Clean may do the trick, possibly even followed up by Fabric Clean & Protect.

Thanks, A&J. I really like the Fabric Clean & Protect method, but since there is no actual stains (alcantara just eventually gets an oily, matted down look after contact with skin) I may even halve the standard dilution.
Very lightly mist the surface and (again) very lightly agitate with a soft bristle brush, then wipe clean with a soft towel.
I think Power Clean (even at 10:1) may be too strong for alcantara, but I could be wrong.
https://www.detailedimage.com/FAQ/Detailing/How-do-I-clean-Alcantara-in-a-car/

What would be the best method (while staying within the Optimum system) for cleaning and protecting Alcantara?
My car is loaded with it and in high wear areas it appears to have the oily 'matted down' look that it can sometimes get. I have seen people get fantastic results from the dedicated Sonax cleaner, but I refuse to purchase a niche product that does only one thing.
I am leaning towards either an ONR dampened towel (and I do mean dampened only - almost completely wrung out) at the standard dilution with a gentle scrub, or using Optimum fabric cleaner and towel, but I am not sure what dilution I would use for this.
Thanks in advance,
Nick

Thanks for the reply. My car is a VW R36 Passat (I posted a photo of it in the ONR section) so it is a used car, but I've recently done a 20 hour paint correction on it to get it back to about 95% defect removal.
This will be my first time using a coating however, so I have the usual uncertainty that comes with it. I will still do a comprehensive wash and decontamination on it and even a quick Hyper Polish on a finishing pad to ensure a clean, smooth surface.
I'm sure once you've done it once the procedure won't be near as intimidating the next time. I'm actually excited to try it out as I'll also be getting Hyper Seal to top it with on maintence washes. I will be doing a comprehensive review of the whole process when I do, just because it's what I want to see and read before I do something like this.
Nick

I'm about to do my first application of Gloss Coat in a month or so and your plan seems foolproof.
How did the actual application of the product feel? Is it similar to Opti-Seal where it almost feels like butter going on, or does it want to grip a bit more?

While it wouldn't be its strong suit, you could definitely use it on tyres if it was just a maintenance wash. I've used ONR, Optimum Instant Detailer, Power Clean and even Ferex to clean tyres and they all work, it's just it may take longer to get it clean with a more mild product.
If it's anything more than mildly dirty, a degreaser like Power Clean will always be more effective.

This is what I did recently to remove the outline of old lettering on my windscreen and it worked really well.
I clayed, polished with a DA and metal polish (one that is approved for use on glass) and then a thorough clean with a glass cleaner and waffle weave towel.
I then put 2 coats of Opti-Seal and 2 coats of Car Wax. The wax can be skipped as it may leave a slight haze sometimes, but I haven't had any issues.

One thing I could say is that if the car is extremely dirty or covered in heavy traffic film, I would foam the lower half of the car in Power Clean with an IK Foam sprayer and let it dwell for a minute or so after doing the wheels. This would then be rinsed with the ONR solution prior to washing.
I've timed my pressure sprayer at about 13 minutes of continuous spraying, so there is plenty of solution left after wheel cleaning.
On the other hand, if the car only has a light layer of dust on it the pre-rinse can be skipped completely as it is safe to just wash straight after wheels, saving around 10 minutes.

Optimum No Rinse is (in my opinion) the greatest detailing product ever created. Having said that I don't think it's a good idea to fill up a bucket, add some ONR and whale away at the car as quickly as possible.
I've developed my own system for using it on even a very dirty car with no marring or scratches added during the wash and dry process. I've recently corrected my cars paint over roughly a 20 hour period, so I know every blemish and scratch that exists on it. I have been going over the car with a defect spotting light after washing and I think I have the perfect method. It just so happens that The Rag Company uploaded a video to YouTube recently and it is basically the exact same method that I (and probably many others) use.
1. Prepare a 20L (5.2 Gallon) bucket half full of water with 30ml (1oz) of ONR. Add a microfiber wash mitt to soak in the mixture while the rest of the setup is being completed.
2. Fill an 8L (2.1 Gallon) pressure sprayer with water and add 30ml (1oz) of ONR. Pump up to the required setting and set aside.
3. Spray shampoo and/or wheel cleaner and or/all purpose cleaner on to wheels and tyres as required. Leave to dwell for a few minutes and then agitate all areas of the wheel with brushes as necessary. Rinse wheels completely with ONR pressure sprayer.
4. Spray car completely with ONR mixture from pressure sprayer, focusing special attention on any areas that are particularly dirty. I spray until the bottle is completely empty for this one, regardless of how long it takes.
5. Wash car as normal with ONR using slow, straight lines, making sure to rinse the microfiber mitt off in the bucket regularly. If everything above has been done previously, this should result and a fairly clean bucket afterwards.
6. Dry the car with a very plush, high GSM (1000gsm) microfiber towel and use Opti-Seal or Car Wax as a drying aid. I alternate between these two for each wash.
All up this procedure takes me less then an hour to complete, and I can do it in my garage at any time of the day/week. What I really love about it is it's every bit as effective as using a pressure washer, snow foam, hose, 2 buckets, grit guards etc. etc. I was adamant in not giving anything up when using this method as I didn't want to sacrafice anything in terms of the end result. There is no way anyone could ever tell a difference when doing it this way as compared to a 'traditional wash'. There are so many pros to doing it this way (huge water saving, doing it in the comfort of my closed garage, not dragging around a hose or pressure washer for example) I am NEVER going back to the traditional method of washing if I can help it.
I see lots of people who are skeptical about ONR, or who say they have used it and have scratched their paint. What I would (and do) say to those people is 'you are doing it wrong'. It is just as easy to scratch your paint using a traditional wash as it is using ONR, it's just the psychological part that I think people can't wrap their head around. It is quite scary using it for the first time as I'll admit, it sure freaked me out. The end result speaks for itself and after each and every wash I'm blown away by the seemingly witchcraft that comes out of the bottle. It shouldn't be that easy, safe and effective - but it is.
Nick

Sorry, probably should have gone more in depth there.
I dry the wheels with a seperate microfiber towel (I use a cheaper one here) and use Optimum Instant Detailer as a drying aid as the very last step.

Thanks!
Obviously ONR is not new to people on this forum, so I would love to know if others have discovered little tweaks to their processes that save them time (without sacrificing quality).
I know I think I've finally got all the answers and then I watch a YouTube video or read something someone does that really works and I tweak my method again. 😂

Hi Everyone,
I'm a long time user of OPT products and a lurker of this forum over many months, and I just thought it was time to join in.
Like many car detailing enthusiasts, I feel the constant need to find the newer, 'better' product instead of sticking with what works. I just keep coming back to OPT each time as they are great value, perform well and are incredibly easy to use. I've wasted a lot of money on trying out other systems and products but always revert back to the Optimum Synergy. Brand loyalty is usually not very smart, but in the case of OPT I make an exception.
I recently spent 20+ hours correcting the paint on my car and put Opti-Seal on as a 'temporary' solution until something else comes along, but I look at it after 2 weeks and think 'why do I want to try something else'? It looks amazing.
My favourite products are ONR, Opti-Seal and Spray Wax.
Enough rambling, hello to everyone and I look forward to chatting with you all!
Nick

Just a quick question regarding Hyper Seal - can you safely use it in any situation Opti-Seal can be used?
I've seen it described as Opti-Seal on steroids but obviously the formulation is different as it is designed for coated cars.
E.g interior plastics, nav screens etc.

Thanks, Yvan.
On the Australian Opti-Coat website it says it can also be used on plastic, glass and rubber in addition to paint. I take it this means exterior surfaces only?
https://opticoat.com.au/opti-coat-hyper-seal